JP3748864B2 - Bathroom disinfection device and bathroom disinfection method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bathroom sterilization apparatus and a bathroom sterilization method for sterilizing a bathroom, and in particular, a bathroom sterilization apparatus and a bathroom sterilization method for removing bathroom mold by cluster ions composed of approximately the same number of positive ions and negative ions. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
There are devices such as air purifiers that have functions to disinfect air and suppress mold by releasing a large amount of cluster ions consisting of approximately the same number of positive ions and negative ions into the air. 1). The principle is that when the released cluster ions are attached to fungi or fungi floating in the air, hydroxyl radicals exhibiting extremely strong activity are generated, and the fungi are inactivated and sterilized.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-102327
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Since the bathroom has high humidity and easily generates mold, it is convenient if the bacteria and mold generated in the bathroom can be removed by cluster ions. However, even if the cluster ions are released to the bathroom after the bathing, etc., the mold attached to the bathroom wall and the like will propagate to the mold and the fungus and fungus will escape through the wall. The sterilization effect could not be obtained.
[0005]
The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and provides a bathroom sterilization apparatus and a bathroom sterilization method capable of removing and sterilizing bacteria and mold attached to a bathroom wall surface with cluster ions. The purpose is that.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The gist of the present invention for achieving the object lies in the inventions of the following items.
[1] In a bathroom sterilizer for sterilizing a bathroom,
A drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.) for drying the bathroom;
A cluster ion emitting means (26a) for generating cluster ions composed of approximately the same number of positive ions and negative ions and discharging them to the bathroom;
Control means (21) for controlling the drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.) and the cluster ion emitting means (26a) ;
Ventilation means (13) for ventilating the bathroom;
Negative ion release means (26b) for releasing negative ions into the bathroom,
The control means (21)
Before the bathroom is dried by the drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.) or in parallel with the drying operation by the drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.), the ventilation means (13) is operated,
After the bathroom is dried by the drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.), the cluster ion releasing means (26a) is operated to execute the sterilization operation of the bathroom,
The bathroom disinfection apparatus characterized by neutralizing positive ions in the bathroom by operating the negative ion release means (26b) before releasing the cluster ions .
[0007]
[2] The control means (21) starts the sterilization operation based on the reception of a signal indicating the end of automatic bath operation from the controller of the bath (40) [1] ] The bathroom disinfection apparatus of description.
[0008]
[3] In a bathroom sterilization method for sterilizing a bathroom,
Before drying the bathroom or in parallel with the drying operation of the bathroom, ventilate the bathroom,
At least after drying the bathroom, release cluster ions consisting of approximately the same number of positive ions and negative ions into the bathroom,
Release negative ions before neutralizing cluster ions to neutralize positive ions in the bathroom
A bathroom disinfection method characterized by the above.
[0009]
[4] Start sterilization of bathroom based on completion of automatic bath operation
[3] The bathroom disinfection method according to [3].
[0014]
Next, the operation of the invention described in each of the above items will be described.
The control means (21) of the bathroom sterilization apparatus, when sterilizing the bathroom, discharges the cluster ions by the cluster ion release means (26a) after drying the bathroom by the drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.). Execute. The bathroom in recent years has many unit baths, and the wall surface is usually composed of plastic or tile (ceramic). The material constituting these wall surfaces is a non-conductor (insulator), and if there is no moisture on the surface, the charge will not escape through the wall surface. Therefore, by drying the bathroom with a drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.) and cutting off the escape route of the charges, the cluster ions are released to inactivate and remove the bacteria that have adhered to and propagated on the wall surface. Fungus.
[0015]
In addition, when releasing cluster ions, if the drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.) is operated in parallel with this, the cluster ions can be released while the moisture on the surface of the fungus mass is blown off. Can be obtained. Although the enlarged bacterial mass cannot be removed at once, the surface and the mycelium near the surface are killed by the attachment of cluster ions, and the surface of the bacterial mass is not sticky. As a result, it can be easily rubbed or removed by the water pressure of the shower, or the surface can be peeled off, so that mold traces will eventually disappear from the bathroom wall.
[0016]
If the bathroom is ventilated before drying by the drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.) or in parallel with the drying operation by the drying means (12, 22, 23, etc.), high humidity air is used in the bathroom. It is discharged from the inside, and drying of the wall surface is promoted.
[0017]
By the way, there are a lot of negative ions and a lot of positive ions around waterfalls and fountains. In waterfalls and fountains, ions are not generated by electrical means, so the same number of negative ions and positive ions should be generated, but in reality there are considerably more negative ions. This is because small water droplets that are negatively charged due to the Raynard effect float and diffuse around, releasing electrons to the surroundings (observation platform, bench, etc.), but the water droplets that are positively charged are large and difficult to float, making it foggy. For example, it is considered that the number of negative ions and positive ions will be different depending on the location, because it falls to a waterfall. This is presumably because there are more positive ions in the smoke immediately below the waterfall and fountain, and there are more negative ions in the observation deck around the waterfall and benches around the fountain.
[0018]
If you take a shower vigorously, the same number of negative ions and positive ions are generated by the Reynard effect. However, an increase in positive ions has been measured rapidly after the shower. For this reason, small water droplets that are negatively charged due to the Raynard effect float around and diffuse around them and collide with the wall surface before emitting electrons to the surroundings, losing charge, and positively charged water droplets become mist-like in the bathroom Presumed to drift inside. In other words, the bathroom is in the same state as fog or clouds filled with moist steam (steam), and the steam is filled with positive ions, just in the smoke just below the waterfall or fountain. Presumed to be in the same state as
[0019]
Even if the cluster ions are released in the bathroom filled with steam (water vapor), the number of negative ions in the cluster ions is reduced by the positive ions in the steam, and approximately the same number of negative ions necessary for sterilization. The balance of positive ions will be lost. Accordingly, ventilation is performed before or simultaneously with drying the bathroom, and the hot and cold fumes are discharged outside the bathroom before the cluster ions are released. Thereby, the ion balance of cluster ions is maintained and a high sterilization effect is secured.
[0020]
Furthermore, if the negative ions are released before the cluster ions are released to neutralize the positive ions in the bathroom, a higher sterilization effect can be obtained from the beginning of the release of the cluster ions. That is, ventilation only dilutes positive ions, but neutralization can completely eliminate unnecessary positive ions.
[0021]
Further, in the case of starting the bathroom sterilization operation based on the reception of the signal indicating the end of the automatic bath operation from the control unit of the bath tub (40), the bathroom sterilization is automatically performed after the bath automatic operation ends. The device is activated and the bathroom is sterilized. Since it is assumed that a person does not bathe after the automatic operation of the bath is completed, it is suitable as a starting factor for the sterilization operation.
[0022]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a bathroom sterilization apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of the bathroom sterilization apparatus 10. The bathroom sanitizer 10 has functions for performing bathroom heating operation, bathroom ventilation / air blowing operation, bathroom / clothing drying operation, bathroom ventilation operation, freeze prevention operation, sterilization operation, negative ion release operation, and the like. is doing.
[0023]
The bathroom sterilization apparatus 10 includes an indoor unit 11 installed in the bathroom, a heat source machine 12 installed outside the bathroom, a ventilation box 14 incorporating a ventilation fan 13, and a remote controller 15.
[0024]
The indoor unit 11 is attached to a wall surface in the bathroom, and a ventilation box 14 is attached to the outside of the wall surface corresponding to the indoor unit 11. The indoor unit 11 and the ventilation box 14 have through holes 16 opened in the wall surface of the bathroom. Communicate through.
[0025]
The indoor unit 11 includes a control unit 21, a heat exchanger 22, a circulation fan 23, a room temperature sensor 24, a hot water temperature sensor 25, and an ion generator 26. The ion generator 26 has functions of cluster ion emission means 26a and negative ion emission means 26b. The case of the indoor unit 11 is provided with an air supply / exhaust port 31 for allowing air in and out of the bathroom to enter and exit.
[0026]
The heat source unit 12 incorporates a burner, a heat exchanger, a circulation pump, and the like. The indoor unit 11 and the heat source machine 12 are connected by a circulation path 28 for circulating the heat medium fluid via the heat exchanger of the heat source machine 12 and the heat exchanger 22 of the indoor unit 11.
[0027]
The cluster ion emitting means 26a generates cluster ions composed of substantially the same number of positive ions and negative ions. For example, the cluster ion emitting means 26a applies an alternating voltage of about 1.75 Kv between the high-voltage electrode and the ground electrode so that positive ions and negative ions are generated simultaneously outside the glass tube as a dielectric. It has become. At this time, the concentration of positive ions and negative ions is about 20,000 / CC, and the ozone concentration is 0.01 PPM or less. The negative ion release means 26b functions to generate negative ions.
[0028]
The circulation fan 23 performs a function of sending air taken from the bathroom into the bathroom through the heat exchanger 22 and a function of releasing ions generated by the ion generator 26 into the bathroom. The control unit 21 is a circuit composed mainly of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and controls the operation of the bathroom sterilizer 10. It performs the function to control.
[0029]
Hot air is discharged into the bathroom by operating the circulation fan 23 while operating the circulation pump of the heat source unit 12 while operating the circulation pump of the heat source unit 12 while burning the burner of the heat source unit 12. Drying and heating in the bathroom are performed by the release of warm air. Further, when the ventilation fan 13 is operated, the air in the bathroom is taken in from the air supply / exhaust port 31 of the indoor unit 11 and is released to the outside of the bathroom through the through hole 16 to perform a ventilation operation. When the cluster ion releasing means 26a and the circulation fan 23 are operated, cluster ions are released into the bathroom. When the negative ion release means 26b and the circulation fan 23 are operated, negative ions are released into the bathroom.
[0030]
A remote controller 15 and a bath water heater 40 are connected to the control unit 21. The remote controller 15 has an operation switch for instructing the operation of the bathroom sterilizer 10 and a display unit for displaying an operation state. The bath water heater 40 has a function of supplying hot water to the faucet, a function of pouring water into the bathtub, and a function of tracking the bathtub water in the bathtub. When the automatic operation is turned on, the bath is filled with water up to the set water level, and then a heat-retaining operation is performed in which the bath water is kept at the set temperature until a certain time (here, 4 hours) elapses. The control unit 21 of the bathroom sanitizer 10 receives an end signal indicating the end of automatic bath operation from the bath water heater 40. The control unit 21 has a function as a sterilization control means 32 for controlling operations related to sterilization and mold removal in the bathroom.
[0031]
Next, the operation will be described.
FIG. 2 shows an operation flow when the bathroom sterilization apparatus 10 sterilizes the bathroom. When the bath water heater 40 ends the automatic operation of the bath, a signal indicating that is input to the control unit 21 of the bathroom sterilization apparatus 10 as a sterilization command (step S101). Then, the bathroom disinfection apparatus 10 first ventilates and dries the inside of the bathroom, releases air with high humidity to the outside, and dries the bathroom wall surface (step S102). As a result, the wall around the bacteria that adheres to and propagates on the bathroom wall is changed from a conductor to a non-conductor, and the electric charge escape route is cut off. Further, negative ions are released (step S103), and the positive ions remaining in the bathroom are neutralized.
[0032]
Thereafter, cluster ions (positive and negative ions H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m ; positive ions, O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n ; negative ions) are released (step S104). It is considered that positive and negative ions released into the bathroom space surround bacteria attached to the wall surface and cause reactions as shown in the following formulas (1) to (3).
_{^{H + (H 2 O) m}} + O 2 - (H 2 O) n → · OH + 1 / 2O 2 + (m + n) H 2 O ... (1)
H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m + H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _{m ′} + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _{n ′} → _2.OH + O ₂ + (m + m ′ + n + n ′) H ₂ O (2)
H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _m + H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _{m ′} + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _{n ′} → H ₂ O ₂ + O ₂ + (m + m ′ + n + n ′) H ₂ O (3)
Bacteria attached and propagated on the bathroom wall surface can be inactivated by hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) or hydroxyl radical (.OH) generated by such a chemical reaction. At this time, if the wall surface is not a non-conductor, the charge escapes before the positive and negative ions attached to the bacterium react with each other, and the bacterium cannot be inactivated. In addition, since cluster ions are released while moisture on the surface of the fungus is released, cracks are formed on the surface of the fungus, and positive and negative ions enter the inside, leading to inactivation of the inside of the fungus and higher removal. Bactericidal effect can be obtained.
[0033]
Once the bacterial mass has grown (it becomes a large bacterial mass in about 3 days under a good growth environment), it cannot be removed by a single sterilization operation. The nearby mycelium is killed and the surface of the mycelium is not sticky. Therefore, it can be lightly rubbed or easily removed or the surface is peeled off by the water pressure of the shower, and the mold traces can be eliminated from the bathroom wall.
[0034]
The embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this, and there may be changes and additions within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0035]
For example, in the embodiment, ventilation and drying are performed at the same time. However, ventilation and drying may be performed. Further, the negative ions are released to neutralize the interior of the bathroom and then the cluster ions are released. However, the neutralization operation may be omitted. If the ions are released after drying, the cluster ions may be released from the stage before the drying of the bathroom wall surface is completed. Furthermore, although a timer or the like may be used for drying, more effective sterilization can be achieved by determining the release time of cluster ions while measuring the drying gap with a humidity sensor or the like. If it has such a humidity sensor, it can be effectively sterilized even in a bathroom situation where it is difficult to dry, such as when using a wall-mounted wall bath or wooden wall. In addition, from the relationship between the temperature change in the bathroom and the amount of heat in the drying operation, it is detected that a part of the applied heat has changed from being consumed as the evaporation heat of the water droplets to the drying completed state where it is not consumed as the evaporation heat. Thus, the cluster ion release time may be determined. For example, when a certain amount of heat is given to the bathroom by a drying operation, when the temperature in the bathroom suddenly rises (when a change point of the temperature rise characteristic is found), the heat consumption due to the heat of evaporation is finished. Judgment is made and emission of cluster ions is started. In addition, in the case of adjusting the amount of heating by drying operation so that the temperature in the bathroom does not exceed a certain temperature, the amount of decrease in the amount of heating can be reduced, such as the temperature in the bathroom does not decrease much even though the amount of heating is reduced. Based on the relationship with the temperature in the bathroom, it may be detected that the consumption of heat due to evaporation has ended and emission of cluster ions may be started. In addition, the determination method of a drying completion time is not limited to what was illustrated above, Various methods can be used.
[0036]
In the embodiment, a series of sterilization operations are started when a signal indicating the end of the automatic operation of the bath is input from the bath water heater 40, but the start factor of the sterilization operation is limited to this. is not. For example, the user may turn on the sterilization operation manually or may turn it on by timer reservation or the like. In addition, after bathing, it is in a condition that facilitates the growth of bacteria, so by starting the sterilization operation at the end of the automatic operation of the bath, to prevent the growth of bacteria at an early stage, to obtain a higher sterilization effect Can do. In addition, it is needless to say that the portion described as a wall surface in the present application indicates a portion (mainly a plastic product) where bacteria inside the bathroom adhere to and propagate such as a bathtub surface, a bowl, a chair, a poker bar, a soap dish, A portion of the aluminum sash that is not coated with a metal portion is a conductor and is excluded from this.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
According to the bathroom sterilization apparatus and the bathroom sterilization method according to the present invention, the cluster ions are released after the bathroom is ventilated and dried. The bacteria that are transmitted and cannot escape and inactivate and propagate on the wall surface can be effectively inactivated by the cluster ions to be removed and sterilized.
[0038]
In addition, if the negative ions are released before the cluster ions are released to neutralize the positive ions remaining in the bathroom, the positive ions in the bathroom can be completely removed. Can be increased.
[0039]
When a signal indicating the end of automatic bath operation is input from the bath tub, the sterilization operation starts immediately after the bathing is completed. Bactericidal effect can be obtained. In addition, since the sterilization operation starts automatically with the end of the automatic operation of the bath, it is possible to prevent the situation where the manual growth is forgotten by forgetting the manual activation, and to ensure the sterilization of the bathroom Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a bathroom disinfecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a bathroom disinfecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a sterilization operation of the bathroom sterilization apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Bathroom disinfection apparatus 11 ... Indoor unit 12 ... Heat source machine 13 ... Ventilation fan 14 ... Ventilation box 15 ... Remote controller 16 ... Through-hole 21 ... Control unit 22 ... Heat exchanger 23 ... Circulation fan 24 ... Room temperature sensor 25 ... Hot water Temperature sensor 26 ... ion generator 26a ... cluster ion release means 26b ... negative ion release means 28 ... circulation path 31 ... air supply / exhaust port 32 ... disinfection control means 40 ... bath water heater

Claims (4)

In the bathroom sterilization device for sterilizing the bathroom,
A drying means for drying the bathroom;
A cluster ion emitting means for generating cluster ions composed of approximately the same number of positive ions and negative ions and discharging them to the bathroom;
Control means for controlling the drying means and the cluster ion emission means ;
A ventilation means for ventilating the bathroom;
An anion releasing means for releasing anions into the bathroom,
The control means includes
Before the bathroom is dried by the drying means or in parallel with the drying operation by the drying means, the ventilation means is operated,
After drying the bathroom by the drying means, the cluster ion releasing means is operated to perform a sterilization operation of the bathroom,
A bathroom disinfection apparatus characterized in that before the cluster ions are released, the negative ion release means is operated to neutralize the positive ions in the bathroom. The bathroom sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means starts the sterilization operation based on reception of a signal indicating completion of automatic bath operation from a control unit of the bath tub . In the bathroom disinfection method of disinfecting the bathroom,
Before drying the bathroom or in parallel with the drying operation of the bathroom, ventilate the bathroom,
At least after drying the bathroom, release cluster ions consisting of approximately the same number of positive ions and negative ions into the bathroom,
Release negative ions to neutralize positive ions in the bathroom before releasing cluster ions
A bathroom disinfection method characterized by the above. Start sterilization of bathroom based on completion of automatic bath operation
The bathroom disinfection method according to claim 3.

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